VZCZCXRO6735
OO RUEHLMC
DE RUEHDS #1570/01 1871313
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061313Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5349
INFO RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 6674
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP  PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 001570 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/ES-CR AND S/ES-O 
DEPT ALSO FOR AF/E, AF/EPS, AND EEB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPDC ECON PREL ET
SUBJECT: G-8 - PRIME MINISTER MELES' LETTER TO POTUS 
 
¶1. (U) Embassy Addis Ababa received the following letter from 
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to President Obama on 
July 6.  We will send hard copy via diplomatic pouch.  As 
Prime Minister Meles will attend the July 8-10 G-8 Summit in 
Italy, we request that the letter and its contents be brought 
to the President's attention before any potential encounter 
with Prime Minister Meles who will also be in Italy. 
 
¶2. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT OF DIPLOMATIC NOTE: 
 
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic 
Republic of Ethiopia presents is compliments to the State 
Department of the United States of America and has the honor 
to attach herewith a letter from H.E. Prime Minister Meles 
Zenawi to H.E. President Barack Obama regarding the upcoming 
G-8 Summit scheduled to be held in L'Aquila, the Republic of 
Italy from 8 to 10 July 2009. 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic 
Republic of Ethiopia avails itself of this opportunity to 
renew to the State Department of the United States of America 
the assurances of its highest consideration. 
 
Dated 2 July 2009 
 
¶3. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT OF LETTER: 
 
Your Excellency, 
 
I am writing you as the participant in the recently held and 
very successful G-20 Summit on behalf of Africa. 
 
Africa is very satisfied with the decisions made at the 
London summit of the G-20.  To many Africans, the many 
concrete decisions made by the Summit to help overcome the 
current economic challenges were a welcome expression of 
solidarity with countries that have not contributed to the 
crisis but have been hit hard by it.  We are also very 
pleased that some steps have been taken to implement the G-20 
Summit decisions. 
 
However, the crisis is continuing to cause untold damage on 
our economic prospects.  Indeed, the projections by the 
international financial institutions continue to worsen.  I, 
therefore, believe it is very important that the G-8 Summit 
in L'Aquila issue a statement re-affirming the G-20 Summit 
decisions on support for least developed countries and 
outlining specific guidelines on their implementation.  I 
wish, therefore, to ask Your Excellency to use your good 
offices to enable the G-8 Summit to incorporate the following 
proposals in its final statement: 
 
¶1. Re-affirm and redouble efforts to meet the Gleneagles ODA 
commitments were re-affirmed at the G-20 Summit and in 
previous G-8 Summits.  Indeed, because such re-affirmation 
has not always been followed by specific actions, many people 
in Africa are expressing skepticism about such 
re-affirmation.  I would therefore request that the upcoming 
G-8 Summit above and beyond re-affirming its commitment to 
Gleneagles ODA commitments, agree to publish national 
time-tables for meeting these targets. 
 
¶2. Commit to the urgent disbursement of the 50 billion 
dollars of additional financing for low income countries. 
This commitment was the highlight of the London G-20 Summit 
for many Africans.  We are very pleased that some of that 
money is likely to be made available to us through the IMF by 
the end of the year.  However, most of the money is unlikely 
to be available to us given recent development. 
 
What I am suggesting therefore is for the G-8 to reaffirm its 
commitment to the pledge and outline specific measures to 
implement it.  In this regard, it is becoming obvious that 
the multilateral development banks are unable to 
substantially increase their support to us.  We urge that the 
reasons for this be looked into and the obstacles addressed, 
including by replenishing IDA resources a year earlier than 
the scheduled time and increasing the capital of the African 
Development Bank, if necessary. 
 
¶3.  The only means of raising substantial resources quickly 
to assist Africa appears to be for those who do not need the 
additional SDRs and who wish to make the resources available 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00001570  002 OF 002 
 
 
to us to do so in good time.  It is not clear what is 
impeding these countries from doing so.  I am therefore 
suggesting that the IMF be tasked to look at the impediments, 
if any, and come up with means of overcoming them and report 
to the next G-20 Summit. 
 
¶4.  Take accelerated action on health.  As many of us in 
Africa have said, the current crisis is not only threatening 
livelihood but also the lives of millions of our citizens. 
We therefore believe it is high time for the upcoming G-8 
Summit to implement the recommendations of the High Level 
Task Force on innovative financing and health, including 
meeting the existing commitment of US $60 billion for health 
in poor countries. 
 
It is with confidence that these proposals will be given 
serious consideration by the upcoming G-8 Summit that I ask, 
Your Excellency, to please accept the assurances of my 
highest consideration. 
 
/s/ 
Meles Zenawi 
Prime Minister 
 
END TEXT OF LETTER. 
YAMAMOTO